Variable information (VI) printing is a form of on-demand printing in which elements such as, for example, text, graphics, and images may be changed from one printed piece to the next without stopping or slowing down the printing process or utilizing information from a database or external file. For example, a set of personalized letters, each with the same basic layout, can be rendered with a different name and address on each letter. Variable data printing is mainly utilized for direct marketing, customer relationship management, and advertising and invoicing. Variable information printing can be automated by performing a multi-step programming that initially creates document information, which includes a number of prepress operations that can be utilized to render the document in a suitable form.
Modern rendering systems such as printers typically provide document finishing options such as, for example, scaling, rotation, skewing, stapling, hole punching, folding, and other options. In most prior art approaches, such document finishing options are determined by a user at a printer station and/or at a workstation after the document has been created. Such an approach leads to confusion regarding the correct setting of the finishing options. Also, there are significant problems with current methods of selecting finishing parameter options for variable information documents.
Such finishing option programming techniques require a user to define output finishing parameters. Unfortunately, the user necessarily parses through various finishing options and therefore may make many comparisons and decisions in order to achieve the desired outcome. Typically, the special behaviors and conflicts of such finishing system are confusing, awkward to the user, and difficult to understand. Such an approach can be problematic due to employee inattention, which in turn may lead to waste of expensive media.
Based on the foregoing, it is believed that a need exists for an improved method and system for configuring variable finishing parameters for a variable information document. Such an improved method and system is described in greater detail herein.